David (DJ) Ryan Johnson
Summary
I am a strategic business development leader with 14 years of experience driving growth through partnerships. Skilled in pipeline building, deal structuring, and analysis, I excel at identifying opportunities and negotiating high-impact deals. My ability to build key relationships and lead cross-functional teams ensures seamless execution of corporate initiatives. With expertise in business planning and strategic execution, I consistently deliver value and drive organizational success.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
5
5
Certifications
Work History
Director, Business Development Commercial Development
Yahoo
11.2022 - Current
- Hired to focus mainly on new product ideation, launches, and execution
- Reported directly to Head of Business Development
- Created business plan, handled due diligence, pipeline creation, and signed deals on 9 figure a year revenue stream which had never been done before
- Was BD lead for top partnerships which generated over $100M in gross revenue per year
- Negotiated amendments which were valued at over $350M which required C suite and Board approval
- Signed partnerships within highly regulated industries including healthcare
- Worked cross functionally with finance, legal, partner management, data science, business intelligence, design, and leadership
- Built pipeline from scratch and pitched new clients including Audi, Ny Giants, Firefox, Warner Bros
- Discovery, Fox, CNN, UFC, Hearst, and others
- Acted as generative AI expert for Commercial Development team
- Created and ran training sessions for entire Commercial Development team
- Built AI company database which was used across Yahoo including leadership and Corporate Development
- Started and owned relationships with top AI companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Character.ai, and PandoraBots
Principal
David Johnson Consulting, LLC
05.2021 - 11.2022
- Hired by Founders as consultant for two separate adtech companies including Beachfront (http://www.beachfront.com) and Airfind (http://www.airfind.com)
- At Beachfront I helped create a robust Publisher pipeline and sign over 25 video publishers including MLB, Complex, G/O Media, & Abrams Media
- Signed deals for Beachfront which produced over $2.5M in gross revenue from 2021 through 2022
- Created a more efficient and effective publisher launch process at Beachfront with analytical rigor setting expectations and driving growth
- At Airfind I worked directly with the Founders as a strategic advisor to help create revenue diversification
- Projects at Airfind include all aspects of video, native and display media buying, CTV opportunities, and ad serving
- Owned Airfind’s strategy regarding native and display advertising including new publisher partners, media buying, and operational efficiencies
VP, Partnerships
Align
05.2021 - 05.2022
- Hired by Co-Founders as first employee
- Created client onboarding and training workflows and processes for new partners
- Built onboarding materials including client self-serve portal which allowed access to sales, marketing, and training materials
- Owned all outbound sales outreach and pitches for brand new proprietary SaaS product to dozens of potential clients with ACV of $60,000
- Provided specific guidance to product roadmap based on competitive analysis and voice of the customer
- Worked directly with co-founders to build pipeline, strategy, and product roadmap
- Sold a new vertical software to a traditional industry of architects, interior designers, and B2B furniture companies
General Manager
VidCrunch
12.2019 - 05.2021
- Hired by lead investor and chairman of the board to run early-stage startup
- Went from $0 revenue to over $1.3 Million in first 12 months during a global pandemic which hit the ad industry and saw a large decrease in spending
- 5X revenue in year two
- Increased headcount from 15 to 20 and oversaw international, remote team including ops, product, engineering, and sales during a global pandemic
- Built business plan and financial models reporting directly to the Board of Directors
- Launched 4 new products and services which saw large adoption (107 publishers in 1yr), increased margins by 48%, and eCPM by 103%
- Built demand partnerships with Google, Verizon, Comcast, Pubmatic, OpenX, and other top SSPs and DSPs for display, video, and native
Sr. Manager, Business Development
Amazon
03.2019 - 10.2019
- Hired as first business development lead for Amazon Publisher Services in NYC
- Oversaw and grew 10 of the top media accounts which represented over $40 Million in annual revenue including QBR data analysis and strategies
- Led all business, product, and legal conversations including pitching and acquiring net new publishers
- Created strategies for gathering intel for potential new products and services
Director, Business Development
ICX Media
04.2016 - 02.2019
- Company Overview: Acquired by Salient Global
- Hired by Co-Founders as first business hire for Seed stage data intelligence DaaS startup
- Developed over 30 proposals for potential clients including Viacom and Under Armor with an ACV of $120k
- Acquired by Salient Global
Senior Manager, Business Development
SpotX (Acquired by Magnite)
07.2015 - 04.2016
Manager/Senior Manager, Business Development
SpotX
09.2012 - 06.2015
Account Manager
SpotX
08.2011 - 09.2012
Education
B.B.A. - Management
James Madison University
05.2011
Skills
- New business development
- Generative AI
- Cross-Functional Management
- Strategy
- Business Planning
- Data-Driven Decision Making
Certification
O'Reilly Media
- Effective ChatGPT Prompts (2024)
O'Reilly Media
- GenAI for Leaders (2025)
O'Reilly Media
- GenAI for Business Analysis (2025)
O'Reilly Media
- GenAI for Product Management (2025)
O'Reilly Media
- GenAI for Marketing (2025)
Timeline
Director, Business Development Commercial Development
Yahoo
11.2022 - Current
Principal
David Johnson Consulting, LLC
05.2021 - 11.2022
VP, Partnerships
Align
05.2021 - 05.2022
General Manager
VidCrunch
12.2019 - 05.2021
Sr. Manager, Business Development
Amazon
03.2019 - 10.2019
Director, Business Development
ICX Media
04.2016 - 02.2019
Senior Manager, Business Development
SpotX (Acquired by Magnite)
07.2015 - 04.2016
Manager/Senior Manager, Business Development
SpotX
09.2012 - 06.2015
Account Manager
SpotX
08.2011 - 09.2012
B.B.A. - Management
James Madison University
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